Tomorrow morning on the main card of UFC Singapore, we are going to see a banger in the featherweight division. Giga Chikadze (14-3) makes his return after an extended layoff and will look to defend his spot in the top ten as he takes on the surging 15th ranked Alex “Bruce Leeroy” Caceres (21-13).
Entering 2022, Giga Chikadze looked like he was only one more win away from a title shot. He had started out a perfect 7-0 in the UFC and was coming off three straight finishes. However, that’s when he ran into Calvin Kattar who just brutalized him over the course of five rounds. Between taking time off because of that loss and injuries, it’s been over a year and a half since we’ve seen Chikadze.
Since we last saw Chikadze, we’ve seen Caceres three times. He fought Sodiq Yusuff and lost a decision but has bounced back strong with a knockout win over Julian Erosa and then a decision win over Daniel Pineda. Overall, Caceres is now 7-1 in his last eight UFC fights.
UFC Singapore Prediction
We’ve seen a lot of sharp striking from Caceres as of late. He fights very long and he fights behind a very sharp jab. He can and has given a lot of featherweights a lot of trouble on the feet. However, I’m not sure if his opponent at UFC Singapore is going to be one of those guys.
Chikadze is one of the best strikers in the division. His kicks are abnormally fast and they come with so much power. That said, I do wonder how his cardio will hold up if he can’t get Caceres out of there early. With the time away and how much power he throws into his shots, I would recommend that he paces himself.
If he can’t get Caceres out of there, I would worry that Caceres would control the second and third rounds. That’s what makes this prediction tough because we know Caceres can take a shot. That said, something just tells me we get a statement win from Chikadze tomorrow. Whether it’s based off body shots or shots up top, I’m not expecting to see a second round.
Prediction: Giga Chikadze by TKO – Round 1